Pulling ahead: GOP candidate Herman Cain is leading a new Iowa poll despite spending little time in the state. Photo: AP

DES MOINES, Iowa — Herman Cain has emerged as the narrow leader in the race to win the Iowa caucuses, according to the Des Moines Register’s second Iowa Poll released Saturday night.

Cain scored 23 percent, narrowly ahead of former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney on 22 percent. Texas Rep. Ron Paul finished third in the poll on 12 percent, while no other contender polled more than 10 percent.

The Register noted that both Cain and Romney led the pack despite having spent little time courting Iowa voters. Cain has visited the state just once since the Aug. 13 straw poll, and Romney has only campaigned here three times this year.

Once-darling Michele Bachmann, meanwhile, has been a constant presence in Iowa since winning the straw poll yet has seen her support plummet. She dropped from 22 percent in June to just 8 percent in the Register’s poll, the newspaper said.

The paper’s poll results backed up some of Cain’s optomistic talk earlier today. Atlanta businessman predicted Saturday that he will win the South Carolina primary, and finish first or second in Iowa and New Hampshire, while admitting his campaign would be more selective in appearances than in the past.

Cain told reporters at Samford University in the Birmingham, Ala., suburb of Homewood that he will not be “dialing down” his schedule, but his campaign will be more deliberate when they pick appearances and interviews going forward. Cain clarified what he meant about his campaign schedule earlier this week, insisting “when we say dial it down, we only mean balance it out.”

Cain went on to say he wanted to clear up one myth.

“I am in to win it, not to get a TV show,” he said.

Cain is the current leader in many national polls, including the latest FOX News GOP presidential poll. He also won the Western Alabama straw poll with 50.7 percent of the vote, followed by Ron Paul at 45 percent. The other candidates split the other four percent of the vote.